Meet the team

In 2002, whilst working as a volunteer in HMP Channings Wood, Sharon realised how difficult it was for imprisoned parents to keep in touch with their children. She helped the Writer in Residence develop the Storybook Dads idea.

Sharon moved to HMP Dartmoor and introduced the scheme there, recording prisoners on the wings and editing the stories from home.

It proved so popular that the Governor gave her a prison cell to work from and allowed her to employ a couple of prisoners to help with the editing. Other prisons heard about Storybook Dads and wanted to implement the project too. In order to attract some much needed funding, Sharon started the Storybook Dads charity in 2003.

Terry is an English humanitarian and author and in the 1980s he was the Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs. He traveled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages, including John McCarthy.

He was captured on 20th January '87 and spent almost five years in captivity, with four years in solitary confinement. During his capture, he was blindfolded and beaten.

He lived much of the time chained in a room without natural light. He was finally released in November 1991. Today he is deeply engaged in many humanitarian causes including the homeless, overseas development and prisoners. He became a Storybook Dads Patron in 2006.

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Storybook Dads is a multi-award winning charity, well-known and respected in the prison estate...but back in 2002 it was a very different story! Click here to find out more about our humble beginnings.

By sending a story disc to their children, parents can bring comfort to their children and share the joy of storytelling from behind bars. Parents in prison record a bedtime story and message for their child on CD or DVD. Our friendly team are there to help less confident readers and the editing process means that even non-readers can take part.

Recordings from prisons all over the UK are sent to our headquarters and main production centre at HMP Channings Wood in Devon. Our sixteen prisoner editors are trained to use industry standard audio / video software to make the stories into extra special gifts for the children.

We help prisoners to make other educational and fun gifts such as memory books, calendars, challenge charts and pop-up books. A lot of work and creativity goes into these activities and the children love their personalised gifts. Some of these activities are ideal for older children.